Eileen Gambrill

Job title: 
Emeritus Professor and Professor of the Graduate School
Bio/CV: 

Eileen Gambrill is professor of the graduate school at the School of Social Welfare. Her research interests include professional ethics and education; evidence-based practice; professional decision making; social learning theory; behavioral methods; evaluation of practice; and social skills training.

Dr. Gambrill is a grantee of the University of Bristol's Benjamin Meeker Fellowship as well as a two-time recipeint of the Pro Humanitate Award, which is bestowed by the North American Resource Center for Child Welfare. She has also served as a visiting scholar at the University of Oxford and Tel Aviv University.

Additionally, Dr. Gambrill has been editor-in-chief of Social Work Research and Abstracts as well as of Journal of Social Work Education, and she currently sits on the editorial boards of several journals. Dr. Gambrill is also a licensed psychologist.

Expanded Publications

Propaganda in the Helping Professions, Oxford University Press, USA, (2012).

Critical Thinking in Clinical Practice: Improving the Quality of Judgments and Decisions, 3rd Edition, Wiley, USA, (2012).

Gambrill, E. 'Clinical assessment.' In Encyclopedia of Human Behavior. V.S. Ramachandran (Ed.), (2nd Ed. in press, Elsevier).

Gambrill, E. 'Behavioral Perspectives.' In M. Gray, J. Midgley & S.A. Webb (Eds.), Handbook of social work. (2012, Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage).

Gambrill, E. 'Critical thinking and evidence-informed practice as guides to clinical decision making.' In R.A. Carlstedt (Ed.), Handbook of integrative clinical psychology, psychiatry and behavioral medicine: Perspectives, practices and research (New York: Springer 2010).

Gambrill, E. 'Evidence-Informed Practice: Antidote to Propaganda in the Helping Professions?' Research on Social Work Practice. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage (2010).

Gambrill, E. 'Evidence-based practice and the ethics of discretion.' Journal of Social Work. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage (2010).

Gambrill, E. Critical thinking for helping professionals: A skill based workbook (with Len Gibbs) (3rd Ed. in press, Oxford 2009).

Gambrill, E. (Ed.). (2009). Social work ethics. International Library of essays in Public and Professional Ethics, Ashgate Publishing.

Gambrill, E. (2008). Providing more effective, ethical services: The philosophy and process of evidence-based (informed) practice. In D. Lindsey & A. Shlonsky (Eds.),Child welfare research: Advances for practice & policy (pp. 51-65). New York: Oxford.

Gambrill, E. (2008). Decision making in child welfare: Constraints and potentials. In Lindsey & Shlonsky (op.cit.), pp. 175-193.

Gambrill, E. (2008). Informed consent: Options and challenges. In M. C. Calder (Ed.), The carrot or the stick? Towards effective practice with involuntary clients in safeguarding children (pp. 37-55). Lyme Regis UK: Russell House.

Social work practice: A critical thinker's guide (2nd Ed.), Oxford, 2006.

Critical thinking in clinical practice:Improving the quality of judgements and decisions (2nd Ed.)(2005).John Wiley & Sons.

Gambrill, Eileen. Transparency as the Route to Evidence-Informed Professional Education.

Gambrill, Eileen. Evidence-Based (Informed) Macro Practice: Process and Philosophy.

Gambrill, Eileen. Evidence-Based Practice: Sea Change or the Emperor's New Clothes?

Gambrill, Eileen. Evidence-Based Practice and Policy: Choices Ahead.

Gambrill, Eileen. Uses of History in Creating New Futures: A Science-Informed Social Work.

Gambrill, Eileen. Ethical Aspects of Outcome Studies in Social, Behavioral, and Educational Interventions.

Gambrill, Eileen and Gibbs, Leonard. Making Practice Decisions: Is What's Good for the Goose Good for the Gander?

Gambrill, Eileen. What's in a Name? Task-centered, Empirical, and Behavioral Practice.

Gambrill, Eileen. Less marketing and more scholarship.

Gambrill, Eileen and Reiman, Amanda. A Propaganda Index for Reviewing Problem Framing in Articles and Manuscripts: An Exploratory Study. (May 25, 2011)

Gambrill, Eileen. Integrating Research and Practice: Distractions, Controversies, and Options for Moving Forward. (August 12, 2014)

Gambrill, Eileen. The Value of Ellul's Analysis in Understanding Propaganda in the Helping Professions. (August 31, 2012)

Gambrill, Eileen. Reply to "Preparing Current and Future Practitioners to Integrate Research in Real Practice Settings" by Bruce A. Thyer. (July 28, 2014)

Gambrill, Eileen. Birds of a Feather: Applied Behavior Analysis and Quality of Life. (November 15, 2012)

Gambrill, Eileen. The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders as a Major Form of Dehumanization in the Modern World. (September 8, 2013)

Gambrill, Eileen. Social Work: An Authority-Based Profession.

Gambrill, Eileen. Integrating Research and Practice: Distractions, Controversies, and Options for Moving Forward.

Research interests: 
  • Critical thinking and decision-making in the helping professions
  • The process of evidence-based practice
  • The ethics of helping
  • Applied behavior analysis
  • The child welfare industry
  • Promotion of propaganda and avoidable ignorance in the helping professions